When it comes to TV shows, it can now be hard to tell if something is set to be a limited series or not. With Ponies, it’s clear that this show has a second season in mind. I didn’t even need co-creators David Iserson and Susanna Fogel to tell me that at the end of my interview with them. The ending to the season makes it clear there is room for more.
Sure enough, Ponies needs and deserves a second season. It’s a wonderful story, packed with twists and turns that do leave you guessing until the end. So, now, it’s whether the show could land a second season or not, and there’s one reason I don’t think it will get it.
The binge-watch release just didn’t give Ponies time
Look, I know there are a lot of people out there who love to binge-watch shows. When it comes to reruns, I will happily sit through a whole season, because usually, I put it on in the background while I’m doing something. The truth is when it comes to a new show, I want a weekly release, and Ponies needed a weekly drop.
The binge-release means that a show remains on the mind of the viewers for a couple of days, and then it disappears. There are more shows to watch, and some of them get the weekly releases that they deserve. Just look at how talked about the likes of High Potential, Fallout, and Will Trent end up being. It’s not that they more superior to Ponies — because the quality of the spy thriller is excellent — it’s all linked to the release model.
If people don’t stick around after, then the show doesn’t look like it’s done as well. On top of that, if people don’t watch the first weekend of the binge release, they’re likely not going to tune in for a while. The marketing for the show disappears, and that leads to people moving on.
This spy thriller also needed time to develop. We needed to be able to discuss the episodes with friends, working out the theories. That’s arguably what made Game of Thrones such a popular show. We were able to discuss our theories each week!
Ponies season 2 sadly probably won’t happen
Because we don’t have that, I suspect we won’t get a second season. I barely know anybody outside of my industry that has even watched it, and part of that is the binge drop.
Another part is lack of marketing. Peacock shows aren’t getting the push that they deserve. I don’t remember seeing one bit of social media marketing, and I’m constantly looking for spy dramas. I’m the perfect audience, and the algorithm didn’t find me.
I’ll also partially blame the press junket date. It was just two days before the drop of the season, and I didn’t get materials back until the night before the premiere drop. Now, if Ponies had dropped weekly, I’d have had time to push out interviews and do more to promote it, and I know I wasn’t alone with that.
So, I just don’t think the show got the viewership that it needed, and it sucks. It’s time for more shows to be released weekly and get a better promotional tour.
Ponies needs a second season, but I just don’t think it’s going to happen. However, please watch it on Peacock, because it’s worth it.